Growing Up Hobbit
by Snowthorn
Summary: a series of little one shots depicting the life of the Hobbits, Frodo, Sam, Merry and Pippin.
1. Farmer Maggot's Daughter

**Growing Up Hobbit**

**Summary – A look into the childhoods of Frodo, Sam, Merry and Pippin. **

**Farmer Maggot's Daughter**

**A fact of living on the edges of the Shire was that no more than five meters late, one would have entered the wilds of Arda outside the peaceful and nature loving land.** The Maggot's farm was on such an edge, to one side surrounded by forest holding any sort of evil, while the other side was grown of vegetables, wheat, barley and other crops. The mushrooms were especially guarded, seeing as how the young Hobbit lads liked to steal what they could from the Maggot family.

Taurwen was hoeing a row of carrots when the rustling behind her made her stop in fascination. Her brown skirts were hitched up around her waist to keep off the mud. She had gone barefoot though and was careful to not slip as she turned around. The mutterings of two beings made her smile. Apparently, when father was around they ran scared, but when it was her…she shrugged. There was nothing for it.

"Merry! Pippin! What do you think your doing?" she asked gravely. The Hobbit lads in question turned from their crouched positions and blinked up at her.

"Oh, 'ello Terry!" Pippin jumped up, at ten years old he was a scamp, but a lovely one at that.

"Is that all you can say? You are stealing Father's mushrooms, again," Taurwen pointed out.

"They look so delicious though!" Merry, the older of the two at fifteen and of which should have known better, jumped to the defense.

"I shall tell you what, if you help me muck out the stables, I may repay you some mushrooms," Taurwen smiled. With her Mother and Father to Bree because of the baby and the fact that Bree actually had a good Physician, Taurwen was left on the farm to do all the chores. It got tiring and having discovered two lads who would love some food. Well, a bit of a bribe never hurt anyone. She decided.

"All right, we'll do it!" Merry jumped at the offer. Taurwen laughed and she showed them the barn. Somehow, her father had Hobbit sized shovels and buckets. He would hire some Hobbits for the hard gathering of the crops and he needed such tools for them to use. Taurwen handed one shovel and bucket to each lad. She grabbed some human sized for her self and they set off to work. Here, she wore her father's barn boots; Seeing as how one could usually step in something.

"I think I've stepped in something, nasty!" Pippin cried out in surprise.

"It's all right, Pip, it'll wash right off," Taurwen laughed. Pippin still didn't like the ooze but he held his breathe and got down to work.

Thankfully, it did not take as long as it usually had, with the three of them, Merry and her self taking most of the work, but Pippin was no stranger to the mucking of stalls. Taurwen climbed into the loft and dropped hay into the stalls below. Once the mules and other animals had been fed the three trumped out to the well to wash; pans had been lain out for such an occasion and all feet, hands and faces in the cold, crisp water.

Taurwen then showed her little friends inside the house. Thankfully, she had started some hearty meat and potato stew that morning with bread and an apple pie. They all had huge servings off all and it was only after their lunch had been cleaned up and coffee poured that Taurwen went out to the garden with a huge basket and fill it entirely with mushrooms.

She even added a jar of jam and the left over bread from their lunch.

"Thank you Terry!" Pippin cried when he saw the peach jam.

"No problem, you did help me out after all," she smiled at the two.

"May we help again? That was fun!" Pippin jumped up and down like a goose on fire.

"I don't see why not, it will be another couple of weeks before Mum and Papa arrive home," Taurwen shrugged.

"We'll be back!" Merry promised. Taurwen nodded. She hugged each lad and walked with them down the country road. She said a fine fair well to them when they reached the bridge crossing.

"Don't let Pip fall in!" she admonished Merry before turning and entering a sprint along the long two miles back home.

Merry and Pippin watched her go; "I like her," Pippin said in confidence.

"Yes, Farmer Maggot's Daughter is quite a treasure," Merry smiled hazily.

"Do you have a crush on her!?" Pippin asked in alarm.

"NO!"

"Good, she is so much older. It would never work!" Pippin crossed his arms. Merry laughed, no, he had to admit, it never would work. But, he still had a crush on Taurwen Maggot.

_ _ _

a/n – Just a little thing. I wanted to see what I could do with the unknown family of the Maggot's and this is what I got. Professor Know It All helped me with it too. She gave me the name for Taurwen. "Taur" means Forest and "wen" means "Lady".

That last line was a bit of a play on Prince Caspian and POTC. THe whole "It would never work between us" thing. I thought it was cute.


	2. Baggins' Should always stick together

**Disclaimer – I do not own.**

**Chapter Summary – What made Bilbo decide to adopt Frodo in the first place?**

**Baggins should always stick together!**

**I would always remember, in those years after Bilbo's one-hundredth-and-eleventh birthday party, those words that he didn't remember on that night.** Oh, dear friends, don't get me wrong. I am glad that Bilbo got his final adventure. It is just that sometimes, when I look out into the garden and hear the sheers snapping at some errant bush, that I wish Bilbo was still here with me.

It is mostly all year around that I wish this, though, there are this pleasant times when I miss him less, it is mostly with the coming of apple picking season or mushroom eating that I miss my Uncle.

Technically, I am his second cousin twice removed, but he has always been my Uncle because he is so much older than me and here I am only fifty, still rather young in the eyes of the elders. Well, at these times there is one memory that I often revisit and this is the one that I shall tell you about.

_It happened during the Ides of March. _

_It had been several months since my parents had that awful accident with the boat on the Brandywine River. Of course, there was a certain amount of "Poor Frodo" and "Poor thing, no Mum or Pa to speak about…" I spent my days in the peach orchard. Merry tried to cheer me up and I tried to do things for his sake, but, in the end, I was glad when the missive from Uncle Bilbo came in October. _

_It was a blustery day and Merry and I had just gotten done with carving some pumpkins. We had carven scary faces, happy faces, and semi-weird faces. Out of all the pumpkins, ours was the oddest of the bunch. We washed up the utensils – and decided to find a snack when Aunt Dora entered the kitchen. She was a frumpy old thing and was always proper. _

_"This came for you," she said. The letter was un-opened, but as soon as I saw the familiar writing I tore it opened and read eagerly. Merry was bouncing on his heels waiting for me to announce what Uncle Bilbo had written me about. _

_"Well…?" Merry finally asked after I had stared at the letter fro several long moments. Even Aunt Dora was waiting eagerly. She was too proper to ask me straight out._

_"Uncle Bilbo wants me to go and live with him!" I announced. I felt the grin grow on my face. I suddenly realized what I had said when Merry's face fell. _

_"Oh, Ummm…Merry…." I had no words to explain how wonderful this letter was to me. No more whispers about my parents, no more having to contend with others for attention. Merry did not have any of these problems; I felt that he did get more attention. I did not begrudge him that; he needed it, what with Pippin. Merry did not need me to also fight for attention as well. _

_"Are you going?" Aunt Dora asked, frowning at me. _

_"Yes, I think Uncle Bilbo has needed some company for a while now," I replied. She nodded; of course she knew why I wanted to go. Now, as Merry grabbed a pastry from a wrack and walked away, I knew that it would be harder to explain to why I needed to go without sounding like a Sacksville-Baggins. _

Of course, that was the least of my worries. But that isn't the important part of the story. Two day's later Merry guessed my reasons and we were all right. All of my fears had been for naught.

_It was Winter Solstice when I arrived in Hobbiton by the Ferry. Bilbo waited for me by the dock and with him was a grizzled old man with a weirdly point hat and grey cloaks. I had heard of Gandalf, but, this was the first time that I had actually laid eyes on him. Bilbo took me into a giant hug (for a Hobbit) when I departed. _

_"Frodo, my lad! How good of you to come, have you met Gandalf?" Bilbo held out a hand to the Wizard. _

_"No, I haven't, I'm Frodo," I held out my hand and we shook hands. _

_"I have heard a lot about you, Frodo," Gandalf smiled in a way that put me to ease. _

_"So have I, is it really true you sent Uncle Bilbo out the door with a massive kick?" I asked. _

_"It was a nudge," Gandalf gave a sigh as if to say the story was all out of proportion and he knew exactly how it happened. _

_"Yes, well," Bilbo coughed, "Let's go home shall we?" he asked. We walked our way through Hobbiton, the evening coming upon us suddenly, it was only slightly chilly. The Baggins home was alight with lamps and something was cooking in the oven. _

_Bilbo sat us down in the kitchen and poured us tea. Then we had a huge meal, there was even left overs! Which was weird, it must be because of the Buckland Mansion. With so many Hobbits to feed, there was no such thing as left overs. Both Bilbo and Gandalf chuckled at my astonishment. _

_We talked long into the night, catching up on old news. The Post ran rather late (no one really wanted to pay for the Post Pony's that knocked others down) and so post went by the third. Of course, I had letters from all of my Aunts and Uncles. They gave advice to Uncle Bilbo that he just rolled his eyes at. _

_"Who do they think I am? I took on a dragon after all," he muttered as these letters went into the fire. I laughed at this; the image of Uncle Bilbo fighting a fire breathing dragon was very odd and funny at that. _

_"Ah, Frodo, if only you knew. But, I shall tell you all about it in the morning, for now, you need to go to bed," Bilbo showed me my bedroom. It was bigger than the one I had at Buckland Hall. I had all of my own things as well and Uncle Bilbo had obviously unpacked the luggage I had sent only the week before. _

_That night, I slept wonderfully well. I dreamed of mountains and of a white city that I didn't know the name of. _

_Morning came faster than it had in the past; it was the sheers that woke me first. Sleepily I sat up in bed to see the top of the sheers going at an errant bush with a determination that no sheer should possess. _

_Curiosity getting the better of me, something that had always been rather an odd thing for a Hobbit, I wondered over to my window. I poked my head back but had to duck back into the room quick like, for the sheers had almost taken an eyebrow. _

_My cry of terror had obviously made the possessor of the sheers stop and poke his own head into the bed room; "Beg your pardon," the other said, "I didn't think you'd poke your head out like that, if you take my meanin', sir," _

_"It's all right; I shouldn't have put my head out the window. My name is Frodo, what is yours?" I asked. _

_"Samwise Gamgee, least ways that's what me Gaffer calls me, you can call me Sam, if you don't mind," Sam smiled with wide blue eyes. I smiled back._

_"All right, Sam," I replied, "have you seen Uncle Bilbo?" I asked suddenly. He shook his head at me._

_"Not this morning," he replied._

_"Well, why don't you have breakfast with me, then?" I asked. Sam gave me a look before grinning._

_"Thank you Sir," he beamed. _

_"Sam, you don't have to call me 'sir'!" I laughed. _

_I dressed quickly and found Sam at the kitchen door, I begged him to enter and then I made toast, eggs, pickled sandwiches and tea. We had a lovely conversation of which Sam told me of all the good spots to find mushrooms, the trees that give the loveliest shade, he even knew of a great swimming hole. _

_Sam had to go and finish his pruning and so I cleaned up the kitchen before exploring Bag End. It might have been bigger than Buckland Hall with all of its cellar's full of food, rooms with odds and ends from wall to wall, at least fifteen by my count. I also found Uncle Bilbo's library, well, one of several. All of the best books he kept in the parlor which I found myself, going through all of his maps and books. He even had books in Elvish. I must ask him to teach me some. _

_It was here that Uncle Bilbo found me when it was time for Elevensies. He smiled widely and beckoned me to the kitchen. There we cooked together; Uncle Bilbo had all of the best recipes in Hobbiton. Nothing in Buckland could compare. Gandalf had not joined us, Bilbo wouldn't say where the wizard had gone, so that line of question wouldn't go anywhere soon. _

_Uncle Bilbo did tell me about the dragon, he didn't fight it, but the story was magnificent. It was after we had cleaned up our utensils and latter that I finally asked him the question that had been at the back of my mind since his letter._

_"Bilbo," I started, all serious in nature, "Why did you want me to come and stay with you?" I asked. He cocked his head at me and poured some more tea into our cups. He grabbed a plate of biscuits from the pantry. He then smiled._

_"Frodo, my lad, Baggins' should always stick together!" he had replied. _

That, my friends, is how I came to be with Uncle. How he left and the adventure that followed, I'm afraid, shall have to keep for another time.

---------

A/n- Well, I hope you enjoyed this little ditty. Please review.


End file.
